Blast-furnace-charging apparatus.



C. ROBERTS. BLAST PUBNAGE UHARGING APPARAIUS.

APPLIQATIQN FILED APB. 2. loa.

Patented July 27, 1909.

P. G. EGBERTS.

BLAST PUBNACE CHABGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION AFILE!) APB. 2. 1000.

2 9 m 1 n n y T mm .m u un J u d 2 m N LM. P i- 1... 3 6

, AGENTUR L 6,.

RANK C. ROBERTS, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA BLAST-FURNACECHARGING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rammed July 27, 1909,

Appncanon sied Api-i12, 190s. serial No. 399,245.

To all 'u2/wm 'it muy concern:

Be it known that l, FRANK C. Renners, a citizen ol the United States, residing at flhiladelphia, iu the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in 'Blast-liurnaee-Churging Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention .relates to apparatus for Ioeharging lilastiurnaees, and more particularl y to those which have a rotatable supplemental hopper.

It is one ot' the objects of my invention to provide a novel means for supportingand operating the bell or equivalent discharging device for said hopper. l

It isl a further object thereof to provide for'the removal of said hopper from over thi-4 furnace-top in order to permit repairs, :o as For example, the rcneiyal of the beller ot 1er parts of the main hopper.

Other objects thereof will appear hereinal'ler.

Referrin;l to the drawings, Figure. 1 is n central vertical sect ion, showing my invention; Fig'. 2, an elevation partly in section showingl the snpplenwnlal hopper moved on its truck from over the furnace and :t second truck for liftingand moving the niain hell and its supportlng ring; and Fig. 3, an en larged View, partly in section showing the branch pipes 23 and 24 with their valves. 0u the drawings, l rcpresei'its the main hopper of a hlasbtnrnace (op and 2, the hell :lo therefor, which is suspended from the rod 3 pivoted to thelever 4, operated in any den sired manner. v

5 is the supplemental hopper, whieh'is shown supported direi-ily on the circular .1o casting (i carried by the brackets 7 secured to the structural work on lopof the furnace, hut the hopper 5 may he supported on wheels or in any other desired Inanlier. the casting G isgseated in a circular recess in the hopper 5 so that the latter can neither r'se .nor fall independently'of the castin '111e hopper 5 is revolved 4by any Vsuitablla niotor, acting through theushaft 10 having the 4universal ljoints 11 (one only shown), the

pinion 12, and the circularrack 13 secured to the said hopper, but other means may be used vfor rotating the hopper.

The hell 14 of the hopper 5 is supported hv the hollow rod 15, attached hy the Wabhle joint lo to the'hollow piston rod 17 provided with the 'hollow piston 18, working the exhaustone on each side of the cylinder 1.9, the latter lre ferably in the steam cylinder 19, the rod 15 being an extension of the piston rod. This cylinder is su )ported on the truck 20, having travel on tie rails 21, so that the supplemental hopper whcn connected to the truck` by the rods 41 (only one shown) and the eyes 4Q, may be moved to one side as shown on Fig. 2, for the insertion and removal of the main hell 2 or for other purposes. The e5 rod extends up through the rod 15, the. piston rod 17, the piston 18, and the upper cylinder head of the cylinder 19.

Steam is supplied tothe cylinder 19 by the pipe 22, which has the branches 23 and 24 70 ending' respectively to the inlet port 25 and port 26, both opening into the cylinder below the piston 18. The inlet branch contains 'he check-valve 27 opening toward the cylin er and the exhast branch a ehecle'valve,openin away from the cylinder. The inlet branci is provided with the cock 29 and the exhaust branch, with the cock 30, to regulate the amount of steam Ipassing; through the branch pipes. A hy- 3o pass ill. containing 3i regulalin valve 39, is provided ,around the cheek-va ve 37. The atei-un is admitted to :ind exhausted froin'the pipe 22 hy the -l-way valve 32, whose casing is provided with the inlet pipe 33, the exhaust pipe 34, and theport 35 connected to the pipe 22.

l 36 represents the skip cars which deliver their, charges into theradjustable chutes 37,

being protected from theore, etc. as they are discharged from the skip-cars by the vertical plates 38, secured 'to the sides thereof. The parts being as in Fig. 1, the ore, etc.`from the shipcars` are'dninped upon the chutes, 95 down which they run into the supplemental i hopper 5. the weight being sustained by the steam below the piston l( 'lheiatcam passes into the cylinder through the pi es 33 and 22, thehraneh pipe 23, 1nd the 'in et'port 25, the check-valve 27 permitting the steam to pass freely. Then it is desired to lower the bell 14, the valve 32 is turned so as to connect the pipes 22 and 34. The steambeneath the cylinder esca es by way of the exhaust port 26, the brano pipe M, the pipe 2Q, and the exhaust pipe 34, t ie check-valve .28 permitting the steam to pass freely. As thestean'rexhausts, .the piston and yits load drop, the load escaping into the 11o main hopper through the s 'ace between the vhopper 5 and its-lowered be l 14. When the piston passes the port 2G, the steam below it forms a cushion, the cheek-valve 27 preventing the escape of the steam. The plston is, honever, permitted to continue its descent at diminished speed hy reason ofV the ily-pass Ill having therein the regulator-valve 35). )wing to the bypass the piston settles quietly to the bottom of the cylinder. Ae .Moon as the supplemental hopper has been discluirged, the'valve 32 is moved to supply steam again to the cylinder to cause the bell 14 to rise and close the bottoni of the hopper After this hopper has been again filled, it is rotated ninety degrees, for example, and discharged as before. The hopper 1s again filled and rotated one hundred and eighty degrees, for example, and then dischar ed and so on, in order to provide a uniform t istribution of the ne and coarse material in the main hopper and the furnace.

l f preferred the hopper 5 may be rotated continually during use, or several' charges may he dumped at any uadrant or other point before the rotation 0% the supplemental ho per to another quadrant or other position.

n revolving the supplemental hopper 5 the piston, the piston rod 17 the piston 18, and the bell 14 all revolve with it, the Weight of all with a large portion of the load in the ho per being supported by the steam in the cylinder, thus reduein the friction to a minimum. The wabble Joint maybe changed to a ball race or roller hearing, so that the piston and piston rod would not revolve with the supplemental hopper.

ln case the steam power is suliieient, it isy evident that all the weight of the sup lemental hopper and its contents may be ta en from the casting 6, and may even cause the lower shoulder of the circular slot in the4 hopper to bear up against the under sideof the rin, but the principles of my invention would c present even if the steam power `were suiicient only to keep the bell 14 up avainst thehopper 5 Wit ut any lifting e eet; on the hopper. Inasmuchas the contents of the hopper 5 rest on the bell and the usual lip-ring 14', it is clear that, when the piston raises the bell and lip-ring, it will also raise the contentstof the hopper, and will lift or partially sulpport the weight of the hopper 5, owing to ,the friction between the wall of the hopper and the said contents, which being orehave a great speetic gravity.

-lt will be seen, therefore, that I have pro,

vided means whernbythe friction of the rotating parts may be Very largely removed.

l have shown a carriage 40, by which the niaimbell and l1opperring l'nay be lifted and carried to or from their normal places in the furnace-top, the truck 20 lbeing fahr the time moved to oneside with the supplemental ho per depending therefrom; as shown in fig. 2, without. dismantling the fumare.

I do not limit myself to the precise' dltnila shown and described, but desire to inelude within the scope ol my claims all apparatus which involvesfair equivalents thereof.

l claim-- i l. ,ln a blast-furnace charging i iparatns, a rotatable hopper, a closure there or, and a fluid pressure cylinder centrally located above the closure whicliis suspended over the piston in the cylinder to support the closure and the whole or a portion of the weight ol' the hopper together with the whole or a portion of the weight of its contents.

2. ln a blast-furnace charging apparatus, a rotatable hopper, a closure therefor, a fluid pressure cylinder centrally located above the clpsnre Whiclris suspended over the piston in the cylinder to operate said closure andto support the Weight of the closure and such portion of the Weight of the loud as is borne thereby.

3. ln a blast-furnace charging apparatus, a rotatable hopper, a closure therefor, a vfluid pressure cylinder centrally located above the closure which is suspended over the piston in the cylinderV to support and operate the closure and to reduce or remove the friction of the rotating hopper. l

'4. In a blast-furnace chargin apparatus, a main hopper, a closure thereir, an operating rod for said closure, a supplemental hopper, a. closure therefor, a piston and a iistonrod secured to the closure for the latter'ho iper, the piston and piston rod inclofainof the said operating rod..

5. Ii a blast-furnace char ing apparatus, a hopper, a bottom closure t erefor, a fluid ressure cylinder, having an inlet and an ex liaust port', a motor piston therein connected to said closure to raise andlower the latter,

and means including said piston for forming a cushion for thepiston as it; approaches the bottom of the cylinder.

6. In a blast-furnaee charging apparatus, a hopper, a bottom closure therefor, a piston connected thereto to sustain the weight thereof and the load thereon and to raise and to contain said piston, a fluid pressure pipe, exhaust and inlet branch plpes connected to said pipe and said cylinder, and a check- 'lower the closure, a uid pressureeylinder valve in the inlet-pipe to prevent the esca' e and said cylinder, a rhmekvalvc in the inletl pipeV to prevent the esenpe of nloto'r Huid therethronglrns the piston descends, und n bypass around the eheekw'nlve, the exhaust )ipe being ent oilA b y the piston so :is to leave u cushion between the 'pislon and thc inlet-pipe.

8. The combination with n blnsl-furmnre, of malin und su )pleinenlnl hopper, n bottoni closure for each hopper, :rhollow piston, u hollow pistolnrod therefor secured to the closure ofthe snpplenwnlnl hopper, n rod in the hollow' piston rod :unl connected to ihe closure of the main hopper to ope 'alle said cl0sn1'c,z| cylinder for said piston, und n truck for smid cylinder, whereby the supplemental hopper only be moved from above the furnace.

9. The combination with u blnsbnrnneo,

of nmln und su )plenlentnl hop mrs, u bottom closure for enel hopper, u ho low piston, n hollow piston-rod therefor secured (o the blosureof the supplen-lenlul hopper, :l rod in lho hollow' piston rod und connected to the4 closure of lhe. nnlin hopper lo operate Huid closure. n evlilnler for said piston, n (ruck for :mid cylinder, \\'hereb \y (he supplemental hopper only be lnovell 'from nbovo the :For4 nace, :unl n second lrnck l'o 4support und carry l'lle 11min elosnro or olher mrt.

Signed :at lhilzulelphin, lo.. t lis Qth lay oll March D., 1906.

.FRANK o. In nncn'ls.

Vflineswii;

hANoom-n Il. llllLLl-m, L. hnromz LMnnAN. 

